The battle of Day began on the night of 28–29 May 1951, when the Democratic Republic of Vietnam’s (DRV) high command sent elements of the 304th, 308th, and 320th divisions against French positions in the area running from Phu Ly to Yen Mo, located along the Day River in the rice-rich areas of the southwestern part of the Red River delta. These larger units were supported by simultaneous guerrilla action within the delta. The DRV’s main strategic goals were to seize rice in the area, recruit more men, step up guerrilla activites in the delta and win over Catholic support there. While General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and his second in command General François Gonzalez de Linarès successfully stopped the brunt of the Vietnamese advance, the DRV was not looking to engage in a set-piece battle, content to have achieved their goals of creating guerrilla instability and gaining access to rice. The battle ended in early June to all intents and purposes. During the early stages of the battle of Day, however, Catholic leaders in the strategically important areas of Phat Diem and Bui Chu, such as the Bishop Le Huu Tu, refused to take a position in favor of the French, and even allowed the DRV’s forces to traverse their territories without reporting it. This enraged de Lattre, who held the Catholics responsible for the death of his son, Bernard de Lattre de Tassigny, killed during this battle. As a result, the elder de Lattre moved to end effective Catholic autonomy and assumed the defense of Phat Diem and Bui Chu on the same terms as other provinces in the Associated State of Vietnam. See also BINH XUYEN; CAO DAI; CATHOLICS IN VIETNAM AND THE WAR; HOA HAO; VATICAN.